Whilst many investors sometimes seek to alter their investment allocations to try to tap onto new growth areas or ideas in an effort to seek higher returns, not all of these deviations result in higher returns. Very often, it leads to worse outcomes.

Buying to hold blue chips stocks for the long term is quite common advice, but data shows that in the long run only a handful of them retain their value, let alone increase it. Why is this so?

The world economy changes across different time periods, shifting with changes in political power and other disruptions. Your investment portfolio should be constantly and consistently rebalanced to the latest accurate representation of what the world’s investible market is.

The rapid rise of countries and economies in our region often comes the promise of higher-than-expected market returns, albeit with more risk. But what does the data have to say in response to the allure of the Asian Growth Story?

Banking crises have happened since the 1840s and the collapse of key players in the financial ecosystem often which lead to widespread panic and a scramble to preserve capital. The question on everyone’s minds is: ‘Is my money safe?’

Human beings are wired to have emotions — but relying on them to guide decisions may not always pan out. Here are some steps you can take to help you set your emotions aside and build confidence in your investing approach, no matter how the markets are doing.

Sometimes past success from the concentrated investing in well-known companies discourage investors from diversifying their assets. Unfortunately, this can lead to one of the most well-known cautionary tales in finance:
Tragic declines in wealth resulting from losses in single securities.

With the end of easy money policies from central banks around the world and expectations of rising interest rates, you may be wondering — Should bonds play a role in my investments? In this environment, why hold bonds at all?’ In addition to the wealth of existing peer reviewed academic evidence, a recent machine learning analysis by Vanguard may help to provide some insights.

Investopedia defines ‘Home Bias’ as the tendency for investors to invest the majority of their portfolio in domestic equities. However, putting too much of your money into homegrown companies doesn’t pay off all the time. Diversification spreads your investments among more components and reduces risk in your portfolio.

Staying upright on a bike is much easier when you’re moving, and more enjoyable than frequently having to start and stop. Having discipline in a financial plan is not dissimilar; the ability to reach your destination can be positively impacted by building small, repeatable habits.

Interest rates will eventually rise and when they do, the transition from a low-yield to a higher-yield environment can lead to capital losses in portfolios and also put pressure on those who have taken up new levels of debt. Are you prepared?

The market will eventually pull back — while there are some indicators that allow us to gauge the probability of a correction, we suggest that the best time to prepare yourself for such an event is now.

The world is more tightly knit and globalised than you may think. Assessing the exposure of an equity portfolio is not just looking at where companies are based, but also about where their revenues are generated.

Over the past 10 years or so, investors managed to get away with poor investing habits. Whatever they threw their money at seemed to work out pretty well. However, it may appear that the tide may finally be turning.

The Bank of America recently declared that the 60/40 portfolio is dead. Yet many similar death reports in the past have proved to be unfounded.